The Department of Homeland Security says it will remove age limits for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers amid a massive hiring push to power mass deportations.
As AP reports, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox & Friends that applicants as young as 18 could be hired on to join ICE under a new policy. That’s down from the agency’s current policy that requires personnel to be at least 21 and no older than 40.
A DHS press release said the change was happening so "even more patriots will qualify to join ICE."
In Arizona and elsewhere, armed and often masked ICE agents have stormed into places like courthouses, schools and job sites to arrest immigrants who are undocumented and — in some cases — those with legal status in the U.S.
The agency has also offered incentives like loan forgiveness programs to encourage applicants.
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Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller overstepped his authority by entering a partnership with federal immigration authorities, a Maricopa County Superior Court Judge ruled Friday.
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The Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined that a Haitian man’s death while in ICE custody was caused by a severe infection related to dental issues. That comes after the man’s family accused immigration agents of failing to provide proper treatment for a toothache.
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The city of Phoenix has launched a multilingual platform where residents can report concerns or incidents related to federal law enforcement activity within the city. The Federal Enforcement Complaint Reporting Portal is available at the Community Transparency Initiative webpage.
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U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego called on his fellow lawmakers to reform the nation’s immigration laws to protect long-time undocumented residents who were brought to the country as children.
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Pinal County leaders say the top local prosecutor having partnered with ICE is weakening his office’s ability to try local cases.